In Two Years, District More Than Doubles A and B-Rated Schools While Eliminating
All F-Rated Campuses
HOUSTON, TX – In a historic achievement for Texas’s largest school district, Houston Independent School District today announced it expects that 74% of its schools have earned an A or B rating in the 2024-2025 state accountability ratings – a remarkable transformation from just two years ago, before the start of HISD’s transformation, when just 35% of the district’s schools earned this distinction.
These preliminary scores and ratings tell an extraordinary story about the quality of teaching and learning across the 273 campuses of Texas’s largest school district. HISD anticipates the preliminary ratings will match the Texas Education Agency’s official ratings once released later this month:
• 74% of HISD schools now rated A or B – up from 35% before state intervention
• 197 HISD schools have achieved an A or B rating – more than double the 93 schools with that rating as of two years ago
• Zero F-rated schools – a complete elimination of F-rated campuses and a dramatic decrease from 56 F-rated campuses in the District at the start of the intervention
• 82 schools that were rated D or F in 2023 are now A or B-rated
• HISD has only 18 remaining D-rated schools, down from 121 D/F rated schools in 2023, the year before HISD’s transformation began
These school ratings are far more than letters and numbers. For the first time in memory, not a single HISD student attends an F-rated school, and nearly 75% of Houston ISD students attend an A or B-rated school. Two years ago, roughly 40,000 HISD students woke up every day and attended a failing, F-rated school. This year, not a single family in Houston ISD will be sending their child to an F-rated school.
“These results prove what Houston’s students are capable of achieving when given the opportunity and support they deserve,” said Superintendent Mike Miles. “This transformation demonstrates that with high expectations and effective instruction, every
student can succeed. The achievement of our schools reflects the dedication of HISD’s entire workforce and the persistence of HISD’s students and families.”
Houston ISD firmly believes that excellent public schools should be available to all families, in all neighborhoods. HISD has made significant strides toward achieving excellent and equitable educational outcomes across race and economic status. There
are A and B-rated schools in every community, accessible to all students and families.
The district’s transformation touches every Houston neighborhood. From Third Ward to West Houston, from Acres Homes to East End, high-performing schools now serve communities that historically lacked access to educational excellence. For the first time, the vast majority of HISD students – regardless of ZIP code, family income, or home language – attend A or B-rated schools.
“We’ve witnessed remarkable transformations across the district,” said Chief of Schools Sandi Massey. “Dozens of schools leapt from D and F ratings to A and B status. These dramatic improvements show what’s possible when we commit to excellence for every student and work toward that every day.”
“Great public schools are the foundation of a thriving city,” said Board President Ric Campo. “Today’s results demonstrate Houston’s commitment to providing world-class education for all children. This transformation strengthens not just our schools, but our entire city’s future.”
The impact on historically underserved communities is particularly significant. Black and Latino students, who have long faced educational inequities, now overwhelmingly attend high-quality schools.
“As a member of the Board of Managers, I’m proud to see excellence becoming the norm in every Houston community,” said Board member Angela Lemond Flowers. “These ratings represent real opportunity for families who have waited too long for great neighborhood schools. Every child deserves access to quality education, and today’s results show we’re delivering on that promise.”
“Our students have demonstrated their incredible capacity and potential,” added Superintendent Miles. “This is a pivotal moment for Houston to unite behind our public schools. We’ve achieved what many thought impossible, but this is just the beginning. Two years ago, nearly half our schools were rated D or F, with 121 failing campuses.
Today, our preliminary ratings show we have zero F-rated schools and almost 200 A/B campuses. We have a long way to go, but we’re not going back. We are clear-eyed and focused on the future.” The Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings measure how well schools prepare students for the next grade and success after high school. TEA is expected to release the
official 2024-2025 rating in mid-August. Houston ISD has used TEA’s methodology to calculate the preliminary school ratings.
About Houston ISD The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the
seventh-largest in the United States, serving more than 176,000 students across 273 schools.
Media Contact:
Richard Guerra
Houston Independent School District
PressOffice@houstonisd.org
